Charles Perreault

Charles Perreault is an Associate Professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, and affiliated with the Institute of Human Origins. His research focuses on understanding how culture enabled human ecological success through evolutionary and archaeological frameworks. He holds a Ph.D. (2011) in Anthropology from UCLA, M.Sc. (2007) and B.Sc. (2004) from Université de Montréal.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (2011)
  • M.Sc., Anthropology, Université de Montréal (2007)
  • B.Sc., Anthropology, Université de Montréal (2004)

His research integrates mathematical modeling, comparative data analysis, and archaeological records to explore cultural evolution's role in human adaptation. Key themes include the interaction between genes and culture, technological complexity over 3+ million years, and the methodological challenges of interpreting the archaeological record. He advocates for 'macroarchaeology' to address large-scale patterns in human history, as detailed in his book *The Quality of the Archaeological Record* (2019).

His recent work examines stone tool complexity and cumulative culture's origins, Tibetan Plateau prehistory, and the impact of population fragmentation on cultural accumulation. He collaborates with institutions globally, including fieldwork in high-altitude regions.

Advising includes three graduate students (Jonathan Paige, Cindy Hsin-yee Huang, Pietro Beltrame). Research projects involve interdisciplinary teams focusing on lithic technology, Denisovan genetics in Tibet, and long-term cultural dynamics. Grants and funding support fieldwork in Asia and computational modeling of cultural evolution.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Institute of Human Origins and collaborates with ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability through archaeological projects analyzing human-environment interactions over millennia.